Fairphone (Gen 6+) with /e/OS: A De-Googled Alternative to Apple and Google Lock-In
Fairphone has unveiled the Fairphone (Gen 6+) paired with Murena's /e/OS, a European-built modular smartphone designed to replace Google and Apple ecosystems "for good." The device launches at €699 / £599 / $699, available now in Europe and on back-order in the USA via murena.com.
The announcement arrives exactly one year after Fairphone's Gen 6 launched in June 2025. This mid-cycle refresh brings 12 GB of RAM (up from 8 GB on the original), a newer Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 chipset, and a new Cobalt Blue colorway tied to fair-mining commitments. It's not just a spec bump, it's a statement about what a smartphone can be when you strip out the tracking.
What's in the Box
The Fairphone (Gen 6+) with /e/OS ships with a 6.31-inch LTPO OLED display running at FHD+ and 120 Hz. Under the hood, you're getting the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage, expandable via microSD up to 2 TB. The camera setup includes a 50 MP main sensor with OIS and a 13 MP ultrawide, plus a 32 MP front-facing shooter.
Battery capacity sits at 4,415 mAh, and yes, it's user-replaceable. You get 30W fast charging, IP55 water resistance, and 12 easily replaceable components, each accessible with a single screwdriver. iFixit gave the original Gen 6 a perfect 10/10 repair score. Parts range from $7.99 to $89.99.
The /e/OS V4 update, which shipped in June 2026, introduces Murena Backup, one-click migration from Google services, Murena Meet for conference calls, Murena Sign for e-signing, and Murena Passwords. It's a LineageOS fork that strips out Google Play Services and proprietary Google apps, replacing them with MicroG (an open-source reimplementation of Google API calls) and the App Lounge, a curated store for privacy-first Android apps.
The Privacy Premium
Keep in mind that the standard Android version of the Gen 6+ is actually cheaper. You can grab it for $649 / £569 / €649 via Fairphone.com and Amazon, or €649 in Europe. The /e/OS version carries a €50 premium, which is relatively modest for a de-Googled phone.
The standard version runs Stock Android 16 with Fairphone's in-house gallery app, Google Play Store, Maps, Photos, and Gmail. It's available via AT&T and T-Mobile in the US. The /e/OS version, meanwhile, ships with the App Lounge, Magic Earth maps, and the Murena Workspace cloud suite for email, file/photo storage, and calendar/contact/task/note sync. It's available on back-order in the US via murena.com only, with no official carrier support listed.
The warranty covers 5 years of hardware and software updates through at least 2033, with Fairphone committing to Android OS updates until 2032 (8 years total from Gen 6 launch) plus security patches through 2033. /e/OS may continue development beyond that window, but the "possibly longer" claim remains unquantified.
The Business Behind the Ethics
Fairphone, founded in Amsterdam in 2013, has been a B Corp certified social enterprise since 2015. Revenue tripled from €10.8M in 2018 to €73.3M in 2025, the company's best year ever. The Gen 6+ ships alongside 145,259 units sold in 2025, up from 103,053 in 2024.
Earnings returned to profitability in 2025, with EBITDA of +€165K after a -€14.3M loss in 2023. The company has invested €49M in impact-investor funding, led by Invest-NL, ABN AMRO, and Quadia. Ethical Consumer rated Fairphone 98/100, calling it "the most ethical smartphone in the world."
The Cobalt Blue colorway isn't just aesthetic, it's a deliberate nod to Fairphone's fair-mining investment, directly tied to increased spending on fair-mined cobalt via credits. The company has paid out €1.25M in living wage bonuses since 2019, collected 30 tons of e-waste in 2025, and avoided 2,803 tons of CO2e through longer device lifespans.
Gaël Duval, founder of /e/OS and CEO of Murena, sees this as the next chapter in his open-source journey. He created Mandrake Linux in the late 1990s, was laid off from Mandriva in 2006, and then co-founded /e/OS in November 2017 as a non-profit public interest project.
"When I developed Mandriva Linux back in the 90s, it was my mission to make the operating system usable for the everyday, non-techie user. This is my goal with Murena – to give the average user access to smartphones that do not hold their privacy to ransom," Duval said.
Tessa Wernink, Fairphone co-founder, echoed that sentiment in a past interview:
"There might be a misconception that as a social enterprise, we don't operate like a 'normal' business, but that's not true. In many ways, most of our choices are the same — we still need to make money and sell phones — but the outcome and the goals are different."
The Skepticism Section
It's a rather expensive machine for the internals it is touting, though the design and small form factor do help it somewhat. However, at the same time, the lack of upgradability beyond the modular parts hurts it. You're getting a Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 with 12 GB of RAM, which is decent for a mid-range device, but not flagship territory.
/e/OS has drawn criticism from the Free Software Foundation for containing nonfree libraries, which disqualifies it from endorsement. Ars Technica's Ron Amadeo noted in 2021 that "getting regular Android apps to run on a forked version of Android is a challenge." The Verge's David Pierce found that connecting Play apps to Google frustrated testers in 2022, and linux-community.de deemed it "not hardened in any way," recommending GrapheneOS or CalyxOS for security-hardened needs.
The FSF does not endorse /e/ because of nonfree libraries. Tom's Guide found poor documentation and recovery experience on Pixel 4a and ZenFone 8 installs in 2022. These are real concerns for potential buyers.
At the same time, The Register called /e/OS "arguably the most mainstream de-Googled Android OS" in June 2025, comparing it to Ubuntu: "it looks pretty, it works, and it does the job." PC Mag's Sascha Segan encouraged by its determination to create an easy-to-use alternative, and Wired cited its App Lounge as a strength.
The competitive landscape includes Purism's Librem 5 (fully open-source hardware, but niche and expensive), Shiftphone (modular but smaller scale), and GrapheneOS (hardened Android fork for Pixels, but requires technical savvy to install). The Framework Laptop Phone is announced but not yet available.
Fairphone's strategy is a "Google-like approach" of maximizing user adoption, according to The Verge's Ross Rubin, in contrast to Purism's "Apple-like" vertical integration. That matters. If you're a privacy-conscious consumer who doesn't want to flash custom ROMs or troubleshoot installation issues, the Fairphone (Gen 6+) with /e/OS is a turnkey solution.
What Happens Next
The Fairphone (Gen 6+) with /e/OS is available now in Europe at €699 via murena.com. In the UK, it's £599. In the US, it's $699 on back-order. The standard Android version is $649 / £569 / €649 via Fairphone.com and Amazon, with AT&T and T-Mobile support in the US.
Keep in mind that /e/OS is based on Android 16, with the latest /e/OS release being v.4.1.1 as of July 2026. The V4 update that ships on the Gen 6+ includes Murena Backup, one-click migration, Murena Meet, Murena Sign, and Murena Passwords. It also adds "Find my device" and Microsoft account integration to the Mail app addressing some known adoption blockers.
If you need more details, head here to murena.com for the /e/OS version. The long wait is over for a de-Googled smartphone that doesn't require you to be a developer to use.
